Browntown Baptist Church

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REFLECTION

1873 – Browntown
Baptist Church Congregation was organized. Old School Baptist congregations in
both Bentonville, VA and Browntown, VA worshiped in union churches owned
jointly with New School Baptists, Methodists and Lutherans.

1882 – By
deed a lot was transferred in Browntown,VA to the trustees of four
denominations: Methodist Episcopal South; Evangelical Lutheran Church; New
School Baptist Church; Old School Baptist Church. The lot and erection of a
building amounted to $50.00 per trustee. (aka as Union Church currently
located beside Browntown Community Center).
Each denomination was to have one Sunday a month. (1st Old School; 2nd Methodists;
3rd New School; 4th Lutherans).
Either of the four denominations could use the church for special meetings that
did not conflict with the others. Sunday School could be held but not during
regular hours of worship. Any one of the four denominations could sell their
share in the building, but it had to be sold to one of the others covered by
the agreement.

1897 – The Lutherans purchased land in Browntown, on which a
former bar room was located, for $250.00. They moved the bar room to the back
of the lot and erected their own church (present site of Browntown Baptist
Church). The Methodists soon followed and
left the Browntown area. Today only a handful of Old School Baptists use the
Union Church located in Browntown.

1926 – Land was donated at Glen Echo (Browntown Road aka Freedom Club) for a union church to be used by the Methodists, Old School
Baptists, New School Baptists and Brethren. At this time a new parsonage was
purchased in Bentonville, Virginia. Bentonville Baptist purchased half interest
and Rileyville Baptist and Browntown Baptist the remaining quarters. (aka as
field of three churches)

1943 – Browntown
Baptist purchased the Lutheran Church building built in 1897 (current
home of Browntown Baptist Church)
for $1,200.00. Sixteen members of Browntown Baptist Church gathered to approve
the purchase. The building was used as is for 10 years. The building that
housed the bar room was sold.

1953 – Renovations were made that included a basement with five
rooms for Sunday School.

1958 – The
division of the field of three churches occurred when Rileyville withdrew.
Browntown and Bentonville asked for and received from the State Baptist Mission
board an additional $1,200/year to aid in the operation of the field. Browntown
purchased another quarter interest in the parsonage thus owning the property on
a half and half basis with Bentonville.

1964 – Browntown and Bentonville decided to dissolve the field
of churches and the two were officially separated. The parsonage in Bentonville
was sold.

1968 - Purchased
a 1-acre located by the church (property that was destroyed by fire), for church parking.

1970 – A member (Mrs. Annice
Rudacille) donated an acre of land on Smith Run
Road for a new parsonage. The old parsonage was sold to Cool Spring Church for
$10,000.00.

1971 – New
parsonage was officially dedicated and an open house was held.

1973 – A 2-story
addition to the original church building was erected. It included rest rooms,
office space, choir, dining area and additional classroom space.

1980 – Property
to the south of the church was acquired

1995 – Planned
for new fellowship and educational building and set a goal of April 1996 for
construction to commence.

2000 - Began using the new fellowship building for Sunday School, Bible study, Vacation Bible School, fellowship meals and many more activities. This building would not have been possible without the help of many volunteers from our community and from across the state of Virginia.